Is the iPod Classic Done? 10 Years of iPod

142436 ipod classic 02

Guardian posts a retrospective piece about the original iPod and points out that the Classic iPod design has not been updated since late 2009.

The iPod Classic, as the famous scroll-wheel design is now known, hasn't been updated now since September 2009, with a modest capacity jump from 120GB to 160GB. On the Apple Online Store, shipping times have slipped from 24 hours to 1-3 days. Across the US, several major retailers have reported short supplies, leading to speculation the device may soon be discontinued. It didn't even warrant a mention at Apple's annual Developers Conference in 2010. "The iPod's essentially finished, give or take," says Dr Alice Enders, a former senior economist at the World Trade Organisation who now reports on global music markets for media consultancy Enders Analysis.

The iPod was originally launched in 2001 and laid the groundwork for Apple's resurgence this past decade. The article gives a nice lookback at the iPod.

Reception to the original iPod launch was mixed. Our own forum responses are interesting to look back on, 10 years later.

Related Forum: iPod touch and iPod

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...

Top Rated Comments

malcolmffc Avatar
180 months ago
This old post is brilliant

"
I have no use for an Mp3 player.

My house has a CD player.
My car has a CD player.
My Mac has a CD player

I don't use headphones.

The iPod requires me to change my lifestyle to meet it's needs..."
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joshyflac Avatar
149 months ago
Is it Worth it for Apple?

I just bought a used 160GB iPod Classic last week. Having my entire music library in my car at all times: Priceless.

I agree entirely. I did the same thing, and can't imagine going back without it. 160gb is big enough for my mp3 collection, however, it is not nearly big enough for my FLAC collection.

At the end of the day, is it worth it for Apple to be producing a piece of equipment like this anymore?

As most people go the more streaming route, I doubt that a 500gb / 1tb hard drive will be cheap enough for mass appeal, and I realy don't think there are that many people like us anymore!

I have my iPod line-out connected to my Fiio E17 USB for headphone amplification, and it is a pretty high-fidelity mobile solution. I love it, but I don't think I'm really helping Apple's bottom line all that much
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
laserbeam273 Avatar
180 months ago
Time to buy an ipod, leave it in the box, then sell it in 30 years for $10,000? Try get Jobs to sign it first! How about $100,000?

And the first ipod had firewire?!?!?! What is this! We've downgraded!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
skip2 Avatar
180 months ago
LOL. The old thread is absolutely hilarious. Nothing, NOTHING has changed in 10 years. The stuff discussed on these forums today is exactly the same. Kinda makes you think if it's even worth reading as it's all the same anyway. :)

I personally like the "big" capacity of the classic but am not a fan of the UI. Although, I don't think the UI of the iPod Touch/iPhone is the best for a music only device either. Anyway, I'm glad I have the 160GB classic as it fits all my music right now and at least for a few years probably. I would like to see Apple revamp it completely and make it better and easier to use/more intuitive in every way and hooking it up with that 220GB HDD release a while ago instead of just killing it off and introducing a 128GB iPod Touch. I don't think this will happen though. :(
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
guzhogi Avatar
180 months ago
<< Plays "Taps" >>
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jowie Avatar
180 months ago
lol... Comments are priceless:

I still can't believe this! All this hype for something so ridiculous! Who cares about an MP3 player? I want something new! I want them to think differently!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)